Severe Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is staying strong at Category 3 as it moves near the Pilbara coast in Australia. It was about 30km off Karratha on Sunday morning, with winds near the centre reaching 120km/h and gusts up to 165km/h. Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said, "The expectation is that it will maintain its category 3 intensity as it moves south-west today, parallel to the Pilbara coast." The cyclone may get stronger or slow down slightly while still over water. Mitchell is expected to make landfall between Exmouth and Onslow late Sunday night or early Monday. A warning zone from Karratha to Cape Cuvier, north of Carnarvon, has been declared. These areas may experience gale-force or damaging winds, with very destructive gusts possibly reaching 195km/h as the cyclone's core approaches. EmergencyWA issued cyclone emergency warnings from Whim Creek to Onslow, urging people to stay indoors. Winds of 169km/h hit Legendre Island on Saturday evening, and 148km/h were recorded on Barrow Island Sunday morning. "It’s mostly the islands that are being caught at the moment, but we’ve still had 90–100km/h wind gusts on that coastal fringe too at places like Port Hedland and Karratha," added Bradbury. Heavy rain and chances of flash flooding will affect the west Pilbara coast and extend into the Gascoyne region Monday. Karratha recorded 67mm of rain since midnight. "The rain comes in, our rivers start rising, and we’re likely to see impacts for roads, access routes, impacts for communities through those areas too," Bradbury warned. Moisture from Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is also increasing the risk of severe thunderstorms in central and south-eastern states such as New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and inland South Australia. Australia usually sees about 10 tropical cyclones each season, with 3 to 4 hitting land. This season, Mitchell follows cyclones Fina, Hayley, Koji, and Luana. While fewer cyclones may occur with climate warming, severe cyclones may become more common, says the national climate risk assessment.